Singer Bobby Kim opens up about fatherhood at age 53

Singer Bobby Kim revealed on his YouTube channel that he must now work two to three times harder to support his daughter, Hye-mi, following his first experience with fatherhood at age 53.

Singer Bobby Kim has revealed his changed daily life following the joy of holding his first child at the age of 53. He shared the story of his fateful first meeting with his wife, who is 15 years younger, the period when he had previously initiated a breakup, and the emotional struggles experienced while waiting for a pregnancy. In particular, he drew attention by confessing that while he must increase his outside work two to three times for the sake of his daughter, the lack of sleep makes performing on stage difficult.

A video titled "Bobby Kim's love story first revealed: marrying a woman 15 years younger and having his first child at 53" was recently uploaded to Bobby Kim's YouTube channel, "I'm a Bobby Kim." When asked about his feelings regarding becoming a father at a late age in the video, Bobby Kim said, "I am such a lucky person to be able to have a child even though I have become 53 years old." It was a confession revealing how special the child, who arrived after a long wait, is to him.

The connection between the two began in front of a Hawaii airport. Bobby Kim, who arrived in Hawaii to attend a concert, met his wife for the first time while she was working as local performance staff. Although the wife had come out to pick up performance officials, the two did not even have a proper conversation at the time.

Bobby Kim recalled, "I fell in love at first sight without even striking up a conversation," adding, "We didn't have a one-on-one conversation or anything, but I was having a conversation by myself in my heart." Although he could not know what the other person thought of him, Bobby Kim had already been continuing a conversation with his wife in his mind.

The first confession as remembered by his wife was even more bold. She revealed, "After spending a few days, it was almost a drinking party. One day, we were gathered in Oppa's room drinking, and he said to me, 'I am going to marry you.'" She added that while she initially thought he was just a funny person who joked well, she was flustered because Bobby Kim repeated the same words.

However, the feeling of falling in love at first sight did not lead to marriage immediately. On the day they left Hawaii, Bobby Kim wrote his phone number on a note and handed it to his wife, and they began to stay in contact after the wife visited Korea. However, during a period when Bobby Kim was caught up in his fame, he suddenly sent a text message to his wife telling her to break up. Although they had feelings for each other, the relationship distanced once, and the two lived as an older brother and younger sister acquaintance.

Recalling those days, Bobby Kim revealed a happening that occurred when his wife was working as a stylist for the hip-hop duo Leessang. He said, "In a certain article, it was announced that Gary was marrying a non-celebrity at that company." He meant that the moment he encountered the article, he misunderstood that his wife was marrying someone else.

Bobby Kim confessed, "In that moment, I thought, 'Gary caught her. He snatched her away,'" and "For about two days, I was doing an investigation, calling this person and that person, asking who she was marrying." Fortunately, the actual marriage partner was not his wife. Laughter erupted at the story of Bobby Kim agonizing alone and even checking with those around him, and the two eventually reconnected and tied the knot.

After marriage, the time spent waiting for a child became another challenge. Bobby Kim's wife confessed that the moments when she tried to conceive but it did not go as planned were very difficult. She shared the joy of knowing about the pregnancy, saying, "By the time I was about to give up, the pregnancy happened." She explained that because it was a life that came after a long wait, the happiness was extraordinary.

It is said that unexpected changes also came to Bobby Kim through the pregnancy and childbirth. His wife said, "The husband had morning sickness, and after giving birth, she developed alopecia areata. The husband's lips also cracked." It provided laughter as it was a story of physical changes appearing not only in the wife, who experienced pregnancy and childbirth directly, but also in the husband.

For Bobby Kim, who must now live more busily for his daughter Hye-mi, childcare is a joy as well as a realistic burden. Regarding his wife's desire for a second child, he said, "I am even doing part-time jobs right now for Hye-mi," and "I have to go out and work twice or three times as hard right now." He honestly confessed the situation of having to work harder economically to raise his daughter.

He did not hide the difficulties he must endure as a singer. Bobby Kim appealed, "And I also need to sleep. Because I am a singer. It is so hard for me to stand on stage lately. Because I cannot sleep properly." While his affection for the daughter he had at a late age is great, he confessed that the physical burden has increased while balancing childcare and his livelihood.

For Bobby Kim, who became a father for the first time at 53, his daughter is a happiness that cannot be exchanged for anything, but the reality he must take responsibility for as a father is also not easy. A love that began like fate, a child obtained after a long wait, and a daily life moving between the stage and childcare while reducing sleep—his story showed both the joy enjoyed by a late-blooming father and the hardships behind it.

Read the original (Korean)